Fred wrote:I looked at what maybe was his prime the 97-98 season ( 25 years ago ) he was 84th in the league in Pts with 3 goals + 14 helpers, ...... but 26th in the league with 124 PIM's....... His +/- was identical to Dana Murzyn at a -3 which ranked him 183 in the league.

So

84th in pts 26th in PIM's 183 in +/-

A true legend in his time. Maybe it was before your time ?

Foots prime years were from 96 through 05. That a 9 year sample that covers the whole dead puck era. Over that time Foote played 584 games and got 202 points. That is a 29 / 82 pace which is well above average ofensive production for a defenseman in that era who wasn't a power play guy.

If you adjust for the era that he played in he was basically a 30 point defenseman which is well above average for a top4.

He was abvoe average offensively while being one of the best defensive and most physical players in the league.

He was infact an elite player at that time.

Now had you been talking Al McGinnis,Rob BLake or Scott Neidermyer, you'd have my ear

Oh so you mean the other guys who were making Team Canada consistently through that era?

He's a fun little exercise, make a list of the defenceman who have played for team Canada 3 or more times and see what kind of company you are keeping....

And for the record I don't think Foote is as good as the other guys whom you would find on that list, but as I said comparing him to Dana Murzyn is utterly ridiculous.

JESUS F**CKING CHRIST I STATED a better version of Dana Murzyn what don't you understand you get a D- for comprehension

I give up, he was Gods gift to the F**CKING hockey world have it your way, you're sounding Mrs Right niggle niggle

He was one tough hombre as another poster stated his game WAS intimidation. I don't know how old you were when you watched him or how often you watched him but I got a belly full of watching him, he wasn't above some cheap ass play either...but like I said he was quick to drop the goves and take what was coming

Uncle dans leg wrote:Yeah but why isn't he getting inducted into the HHOF????? Just poking the beehive here Pot. Not caring all that much about the topic in all honesty....

Droll or troll maybe

I'm not taking the piss out of you Fred...I'm just bored. I actually don't really know what the argument is about. I usually blur past peoples little squals about this sort of thing. I think Foote was major reason for the Avs sucess during their glory days. He reminds me a bit of Brooks Orpik in Pittsburg actually.

Uncle dans leg wrote:Yeah but why isn't he getting inducted into the HHOF????? Just poking the beehive here Pot. Not caring all that much about the topic in all honesty....

Droll or troll maybe

I'm not taking the piss out of you Fred...I'm just bored. I actually don't really know what the argument is about. I usually blur past peoples little squals about this sort of thing. I think Foote was major reason for the Avs sucess during their glory days. He reminds me a bit of Brooks Orpik in Pittsburg actually.

No sweat, I tried to compare the style of one with the other both played the same tough mean game...fact! I didn't try to compare the relative success of one and the other. Foote was clearly the better player who also played on a far better team but they both depended on the same philosophy.

Fred wrote:Edmonton have as many future stars as we have mature stars....what would make a man write them off

Well, for starters, they have crap for support. Unless they can convert Hemsky n Horcoff into a couple of good D-men, and a solid 3rd line....

Edmonton's problem seems to be that they cannot find good role players, outside of Smyth. But, if they can convert one of their young studs into a couple of solid D men or Forwards, then they have a chance.

They have a lot more "IF" than most teams in their future, and I tend to see more similarities between the Oilers and Islanders than the Oilers and Canucks.

Edmonton to a degree some thing like TO have to divest themselves of some space. Hemsky and Smyth ($10 million ) go this summer but still leaves Horcroff at $5.5 until 2019. I could be wrong but they may have an internal Cap....and frankly I don't blame them. There is no way they will win the CUP for the next couple of years so why waste money. They'll make their push in maybe 3 years time IMO

dbr wrote:That cap space is only useful if they can use it to sign better players.

True, but in all honesty why would Edmonton.....as a business...start spending big cash now when they understand it's not their time yet ? They'll start spending when the youngster are ready to shine, or if it was my franchise that's the way I'd be thinking. Not much fun for the fans

Oh no, I get why the Oilers would want to spend less on their team right now - they are terrible and can't spend their way out of it.

The trouble is that they can't attract top tier unrestricted free agents, so allowing their top players (say what you will about Horcoff/Hemsky/Smyth and Hall/Hopkins/Eberle but the former trio is still playing more ice time against tougher opponents at even strength) to walk for nothing on the assumption they can just sign better players is ... well as a fan of a divisional rival it's pretty amusing.

I wouldn't choose to live there and in fact their owner as we know lives in Vcr now. But some players don't mind it ( Sutton resigned today ) Mrs Pronger didn't take to it . That's a geographical problem that Tambellini has to some how over come and it won't be easy.

Yeah that's my point. They have players who clearly don't mind it there, why not try to retain them (at least for a few years) if they can get them at close to the going rate?

It's been a long time since the Oilers were able to sign an unrestricted free agent as good as Ales Hemsky or Ryan Smyth - heck the last time they had a beat on a top line player in the UFA market (Nylander) his wife cried and demanded he take another team's offer instead - so it's a bit of a leap to just assume that players like that hitting unrestricted free agency is a good thing for that team.